Leaven picks a home

SOMERSWORTH — The young Somersworth entrepreneurs creating a new food and drink venue for the downtown using a community funding model announced the location for their Leaven Beer and Bread House.

Situated on the corner of Market Street and Canal Street, the 44 Market Street building will be home to what they plan will be a hip food and drink establishment.

“It’s the perfect setting,” says Emmett Soldati, one of the three entrepreneurs behind the project, “It’s right on the main thoroughfare of downtown, at the base of Prospect Hill and the main gateway to the fully occupied Canal Street Mills.”

The location, which sees over 15,000 cars per day, has ample parking. The selection of the building came about when local developer, Brian Caple, contacted the Leaven team after he saw an earlier press release about the project.

Caple, who has a history of high-quality historic preservation in New Hampshire, loved the idea of Leaven and immediately thought it would be a great fit for downtown.

When will Leaven open?

“This was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up” relays Patrick Jackman, the group’s finance expert, “so because we chose to go with this option, instead of ready-to-go spaces, we’ve extended our timeline into summer.” However, the team sees this as a good opportunity to reach out more to the community and secure enough financing to get everything done right.

“We’re halfway to our funding goal and now that we’ve secured a building it sends the message to interested parties that Leaven will be opening. We expect this will encourage more people to purchase a voucher from our website or get involved in a larger way, financially.”

Leaven recently hired Hilltop-local web developer, Neil Larson, to upgrade its website and make the voucher purchasing system more seamless. By logging on to www.leavenNH.com/fund.html, individuals can quickly pledge their support for Leaven and guarantee a year’s supply of gift certificates to the bar/bakery.

What are the next steps?

“Fundraising is a big component – whether by throwing more parties, canvassing the neighborhood, or generally getting the word out,” says Soldati.

“But now we’re also getting serious about the menu and programming. We’re working on some bread recipes that pair well with certain dishes. It’s also about scaling our efforts to make sure we have plenty of bread to go around.” Leaven’s menu pivots on locally fermented sourdough bread – but that’s not all. The menu will provide a host of lunch and dinner tapas options, made with fresh ingredients right on premise.

And it’s time to get serious about beer, too. As Leaven beer expert Aidan Watson explains, “We’re making contacts with local and regional distributors. We’re hoping to be the place in Somersworth where beer lovers can explore their tastes and neophytes can expand their palates on craft and microbrews.”

The Leaven Team will be hosting a Dough Raising party to celebrate this milestone in their business development in early March. On Thursday, March 14, join the group at the nearby Whistle Stop Grille, located at 2 Main St. in Downtown Somersworth, at 6 pm to learn more about the project, sample some of their breads, and get involved.

To learn about this community sourced bar or to grab a voucher, just check out their website – www.leavenNH.com and click the “fund now” button.